Educate. Cultivate. Elevate.

Our Formula to take the nine-thousand-year-old Wonder Crop of the Himalayas, Cannabis, and transform it into a channel that Powers the Future

We’re intensely listening to the new sounds of Agricultural Possibilities

We, Bombay Hemp Company, incorporated in 2013, are an Agro-based enterprise reimagining the future of Indian agriculture and sustainable living with hemp as our lens. Hemp’s uses are kaleidoscopic. Pull its Fibre out and it’ll give you Yarn; chop it into Softwood, it’ll give you material to build Shelter; study its Genetics, and you’ll find Medicine.

Our design fuses this very potential with the existing industries of Agriculture, Technology, and Medicine, to bring together Community, Impact, and Value.

What drives us to make it possible?

Hemp’s innate Power to build a better Future

We harness that power by advocating Industrial Hemp and its benefits to society. We assist local farmers in cultivating the crop by providing optimum seeds, best practices in cultivation techniques, and innovating Agro-products.

Our vision is to be pioneers in developing a sustainable business model for large-scale economic, environmental, and social impact.

We, at BOHECO, epitomise a wholesome, credible solution towards alleviating poverty and uplifting society. BOHECO's centrality as a futuristic agriculture company rests in sustainability, social entrepreneurship, and inclusive industry building.

What did we do to create value?

Upon identifying the untapped value of our geographic conditions which are conducive to Hemp cultivation, we created the ecosystem of a Hemp industry in India

We studied Hemp extensively and then engaged in conversations with our stakeholders whose support turned our imaginations to realities. With farmers, scientists, policymakers, industry leaders and world communities, we traced the timeless benefits of Hemp to drive measurable social impact.

Here we are after months of tenacity, India’s premier Industrial Hemp and Medicinal Cannabis Company on its onward journey of positive market disruption.

Our Story

Discovery + Initiation

Discovery

+

Initiation

Started Young

Articulating Hemp’s relevance

“Think basic, think fundamental; you will never be irrelevant.” - Anonymous
In 2011, when we were business students, we worked on Project Chirag, a youth initiative to provide solar electricity to rural houses. That experience exposed us to a set of far-reaching rural challenges.
Far away from these realities was a small town in Australia, that ran happily, sustainably, and primarily on Hemp. We drew inspiration from that simple idea and channelled our learnings from business school, Project Chirag, and our travels through rural India to build BOHECO, a business set to push against the currents of poverty, unemployment, and climate change.

Momentum + Motivation

Momentum

+

Motivation

Stepped-up Steady

Creating Value from the ground up

Our next step was to discover the regions where Hemp is widely available in India, followed by an exploration of how the crop could be transformed into livelihood opportunities for locals like farmers and artisans.
We set base in Uttarakhand, where the crop grows wildly. This was the first time in India where we saw the raw form of Hemp being transformed into charming handlooms. What began with 25 families today supports 75 families all over Uttarkashi, Rudra Prayag, Tehri Garhwal, Dehradun, Almora, Baageshwar, Chamoli, Pithoragarh, Pauri, and Nainital. A total of 150 women weavers are currently employed with our on-ground partners, and are being trained to weave with Hemp yarn.

Potential Gauging

Potential

Gauging

Aligning with Related Disciplines

Setting the Stage for Growth

We connected Laboratory–Farm–Factory–Market.
We facilitated the first meeting with government officials, to discuss Industrial Hemp in India. We showed them hemp-based textiles, food and building material. The meeting was an invitation to the Government of India to join us in building an ecosystem that embraces and benefits from hemp.
To test the waters, we launched our brand proposition, hemp-based food, clothing, shelter and medicine. We launched a crisp white 100% hemp shirt. People loved it! Chuffed with its success, we created a five-year science and business plan, and sped-up product development in the nutrition, shelter and medicine categories.
After this we launched the BOHECO Innovation Lab, to boost research-backed innovation.

Gaining Ground

Gaining

Ground

Getting Recognised

Establishing Credibility

In partnership with the National Institute of Design, we participated in the International Conference on Natural Fibres (ICNF)—an effort to create an ecosystem of various stakeholders to collaborate on and develop India’s agricultural capability.
We took part in the INK Conference in November 2013. The response we received there was overwhelming and helped us expand our community to include the brightest minds of the country.
In January 2015, we were awarded the Ashoka Fellowship for being change-makers in the industry. Then in June 2016, we bagged our first global recognition at Silicon Valley, where BOHECO stood amongst the most promising entrepreneurs in the world at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit. The Rajeev Circle Fellowship followed closely after and bolstered our attempts to gather knowledge in the medicine and nanotechnology space.

Scaling Heights

Scaling

Heights

Launching into a World of Possibilities

Steering Scientific Explorations

Following the first round of investment, we kicked-off a series of R&D efforts involving seed breeding, nanotechnology, materials science, health & nutrition, textiles, post-harvest techniques, and hemp-based sustainable building material. We’ve held our ground for a better human existence in the wake of a sobering need for sustainability. The interplay of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals remains core to our work of Hemp empowerment; be it empowering close to 150 women artisans in rural India, or offering the world a truly green way to live in.

Going Places

Going

Places

Complementing Hemp’s Success

Fostering Vital Relationships

Mr. Tathagatha Satpaty, a Member of the Indian Parliament, wore a Hemp Kurta made by BOHECO to a Parliament session, presenting our work and message to the most influential audience. In the same year, the Government of Himachal Pradesh invited us to meet with a local think-tank and offer our recommendations on policy about Hemp’s use and cultivation in the state.
To further strengthen our aim to ‘Educate’ ourselves and our communities about Hemp, we fostered a relationship with the Institute of Narcotics Studies and Analysis (INSA). We also received an affirmation from Hemp industries, institutes, and government agencies in Netherlands when we were invited to visit and understand their work with Hemp. Through this, BOHECO could build a healthy Indo-Dutch relationship for future collaborations.
In the same year, we hosted India’s first of its kind international summit, called the India Cannabis Analysis, Research & Education (I CARE) Summit, to explore Medical Cannabis and its potential in India.
We’re expanding this universe of Hemp to our side of the world.